Belarus Claims Lithuania Attempted Drone Strikes, Lithuania Denies

Belarus's top security official has accused Lithuania of attempting drone strikes on the Belarusian capital and surrounding areas, but Lithuania has denied the claim. The accusation follows recent security operations by Belarusian agencies that allegedly prevented the attacks.

Minsk, Belarus - Belarus's top security official, Ivan Tertel, head of the Belarusian Committee for State Security (KGB), has claimed that the country has prevented attempted drone strikes from Lithuania targeting the Belarusian capital and surrounding areas. Lithuania has denied the claim.

Tertel made the accusation during a session of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly, a pro-government body that operates in parallel with the parliament. He did not present evidence for the claim or give any details, but stated that "radicals" in Lithuania and Poland are producing drones to attack Belarus.

The Lithuanian military spokesman, Gintautas Ciunis, dismissed Tertel's claims as "nonsense." The Lithuanian crisis management center said in a statement that the comments appeared aimed at a domestic audience in Belarus and could be regarded as a "continuous hostile provocation and informational attack."

Belarus is a close ally of Russia, which has deployed tactical nuclear weapons, missiles, and troops in the country. President Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly boasted that Belarus would turn back any attempt by Ukraine or NATO countries to attack it.

Although Belarusian forces have not entered the Russia-Ukraine war, the country has been a springboard for Russian forces that entered Ukraine's north. Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, exiled in Lithuania, said that nobody aside from the Belarus leadership had heard about a drone attack on Minsk.

The All-Belarusian People's Assembly unanimously approved a new national security framework and military doctrine put forward by Lukashenko to regulate the use of Russian nuclear weapons. Lukashenko told the delegates that these measures would allow Belarus "to resist any aggressor and inflict irreparable damage on them."

Political analysts see this rhetoric as an attempt to please the Kremlin and receive additional funds to fight the "common Western threat." Lukashenko has increased the level of bellicose rhetoric to remind the Kremlin of Belarus's support and expect payment in return.